Cookbook:Swiss Chard

Chard, also acelga, is a leaf vegetable closely related to the beets. There are several varieties of chard available for growing, but the commonest is Swiss chard, also known as silverbeet. Other varieties are Ruby chard, Rainbow chard, and Rhubarb chard.

Chard has shiny green ribbed leaves, with stems that range from white to yellow and red depending on the variety. It has a slightly bitter taste. The leaves are generally treated in the same way as spinach and the stems like asparagus. Fresh young chard can also be used raw in salads.

In Australia, Swiss chard is often sold as "spinach" by vegetable markets; because of this, real spinach is generally called "English spinach".